Sing
by StarHeart Specials
Summary: Don Adora presides over a once-grand theater that has fallen on hard times. An eternal optimist, and a bit of a scoundrel, he loves his theater above all and will do anything to preserve it. Facing the crumbling of his life's ambition, he takes one final chance to restore his fading jewel to its former glory by producing the world's greatest singing competition. (Based on Sing)
1. The Moment It All Began

One faithful night, at a grand theater, several people were walking inside to see the premiere of the theater's latest show, Epiphany.

The seats were filled with many adults and children, eager to see the performance.

Suddenly, the lights went dim, and the audience silenced as the orchestra began to play.

* * *

"Places everyone!," the director told the actors and they ran onstage for the opening number.

Two stagehands prepared the spotlights from above and another turned on a large fan from behind the curtain.

* * *

Finally, the curtain opened, revealing a beautiful forest backdrop and a prop mountain with stairs. The music reached its peak as a blonde woman in a red dress walked onstage and started climbing the mountain, with her arms stretched out and her hair blowing in the wind.

Then, she began to sing.

 _Once there was a way_

 _To get back homeward_

 _Once there was a way_

Several women in green dresses ran to the base of the mountain, staring up at her shock and awe as she continued to sing with her beautiful voice.

 _To get back home_

 _Sleep, pretty darling, do not cry_

 _And I will sing a lullaby_

The audience watched the actress sing with probably the most beautiful voice they had ever heard. With her hair blowing in the wind and her bright red dress, she almost looked like a real queen.

 ** _This was it_**

 ** _The moment it all began_**

 ** _The moment an ordinary little guy fell in love with the theater_**

One particular little boy in one of the higher seats was having trouble seeing the show. His father noticed his struggling and placed him on his lap. The little boy watched the show with wide eyes.

 _ **Everything about it**_

 _ **The lights, the way the scenery moved, even the smell**_

The boy looked back at his father who smiled and nodded. The boy looked around the theater in amazement as the biggest smile he ever had appeared on his face.

 _ **He was only six years old, but his plans to become the first man on Mars were suddenly toast**_

* * *

Many years later, the young boy, Don was now twenty-five years old. He stood in front of the theater holding a pair of golden scissors in his hands as several people with cameras snapped pictures and recorded videos.

Beside him was his father, Don's new assistant, an elderly woman named Ms. Paisley, and Don's life-long best friend, Topher O'Halloran.

 _ **Some folks may have said he grew up to be the greatest showman the city has ever seen**_

Don smiled as he opened the scissors and prepared to cut the welcome ribbon. As he did, a camera snapped a picture of him and everyone else smiling as Don's new theater was officially opened.

 _ **Some called him a visionary, a madrich**_

* * *

The black and white photo now hung on an office wall along with several posters for shows, framed news articles about the theater, and a few autographed pictures of famous actors.

 _ **Sure, some folks said he was crazy as he was stubborn, but I say wonder and magic don't come easy, pal**_

 _ **No, there had never been any doubt**_

 _ **The name Don Adora would go down in**_ ** _entertainment history_**

 ** _And I should know_**

The office chair spun around, revealing Don Adora himself.

"Because I, am Don- -"

"ADORA!"

Don's speech was interrupted by loud yelling and someone pounding on his office door.

"Open this door!"

Just then, Ms. Paisley came in from the other room.

"Good morning, Mr. Adora," she smiled, apparently oblivious to the noise.

"Ms. Paisley, what uh," Don leaned over his desk to see the door shaking violently, "What's going on?"

"You got a lot of people waiting to see you, Mr. Adora," Ms. Paisley said as she stirred a cup of coffee with a spoon.

"I do?"

Don got up from his desk and walked over to his office window. He pulled the blinds down slightly and his eyes widened.

"Holy moly, I really do."

Don cringed when he saw several people standing outside, waiting impatiently for Don to come out, and a couple of them were still pounding on the door.

"Yeah, it's the stage crew from your last show," Ms. Paisley said as Don closed the blinds, "They say their paychecks pounced."

 _"Tell them I'll call the bank and make sure they're paid tout suite,"_ Don whispered urgently.

Ms. Paisley smiled.

"Oh! I've got Courtney from the bank holding on Line 2 right now, sir!"

"Um...actually, I'm gonna have to call her back."

Don grabbed his bag and ran back to his desk.

"Oh," Ms. Paisley frowned, "What should I tell her this time?"

Don moved one of the pictures, revealing a large hole in the wall.

"Tell her Don Adora is out to lunch!"

Don jumped through the hole without another word.

* * *

 **StarHeart Specials Presents**

"Adora! Open this door!"

Don walked above the stage using a row of wooden planks he had played out.

"Come on, Adora. I know you're in there!"

Don quickly pulled a lever and jumped onto a giant prop star that had a star-shaped hole in the middle it for Don to use in his shows. The star was lowered to the bottom of the stage. Don jumped off and quickly ran for the front door.

"ADORA!"

* * *

 **A FanFiction Production**

Don jumped onto his bicycle and pedaled it down the street, dodging cars and other people along the way.

 **Sing**


	2. Five Voices

Don pedaled right by a dark alley, unaware of the beautiful voice that was coming from it.

 _In your mind, could you ever be, really close to me?_

 _I can tell the way you smile_

It was a teenage boy, probably about sixteen years old. He had dark skin, black hair that spiked up a bit in the front, a blue t-shirt, a black leather jacket, blue jeans and sneakers. He was standing at the other end of the alley, just leaning against the wall as he sang.

 _If I feel that I could be certain then_

 _I would say the things I want to say to- -_

A radio sound cut him off. He stopped singing and looked around the corner to see two police officers eating donuts walking towards the alley. The boy gasped and quickly hid behind the wall.

As the policemen walked by the alley, one of them stopped and looked around in confusion.

"Huh, thought I heard someone singing there. Ah, whatever," he shrugged it off and continued walking.

 **RRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNG!**

The boy gasped as the loud alarm blared from the building he was leaning against. He quickly pulled out a small walkie-talkie and whispered into it so the cops wouldn't hear him.

 _"Guys, listen! Stay where you are. The cops are here- -"_

But it was too late as two men carrying large bags jumped through a window on the second floor and landed on their feet.

The noise attracted the cops, who gasped when they saw one of the criminals was Mal Black, the most wanted gang leader in the city.

"Hold it right there, Black!"

Mal locked eyes with the boy for just a second and glared at him with pure hatred before running towards the black truck that two other criminals were already in. He jumped onto the back of the truck and slammed his hand on the front of the truck.

"Go go go!"

Both officers jumped out of the way as the truck quickly drove out of the alley.

The boy quickly ran after the truck as more police men started to show up. He stretched his arm out to Mal, who grabbed it and threw him into the back of the truck. He groaned and looked up at Mal.

"Mike! You were supposed to be keeping a lookout!"

"Sorry, Dad."

"And where's your mask?!"

Mike gasped and quickly put on a black mask around his eyes.

* * *

Meanwhile, just miles away from the crime scene, a woman in her mid-thirties was washing dishes in her kitchen while her children ate breakfast. She had wavy blonde hair, a dark green long-sleeved shirt, light blue jeans and sneakers. She was singing along to the music on her radio as she did the dishes.

 _Do you ever feel like a plastic bag?_

 _Drifting through the wind, wanting to start again_

 _Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin?_

She had five young children, three boys and two girls. Their names were Casper, Dylan, Drake, Chloe and Danni.

As she poured water in Chloe's glass, Casper climbed onto the table.

"Look at me! I'm Mommy! La la la la la!"

He started singing and dancing on the table, making the other children laugh while his mother just frowned and rolled her eyes.

"Casper, get off the table."

An Asian man wearing a brown suit and a blue tie came downstairs, his eyes glued to his phone the whole time.

"Carrie, have you seen my car keys?"

Carrie saw Chloe sucking on the car keys and pulled them out of her mouth. She nodded disapprovingly at Chloe, who frowned sadly. Carrie tossed the keys to Deven who caught them without even looking up.

"La la la la la!"

Carrie picked Casper up and held him in her arms as she looked towards her husband.

"Devin, would you please tell them what a good singer I am?"

Devin walked up to her, still not looking up from his phone.

"Oh yeah, you were great, honey."

He kissed Carrie's cheek, causing Casper to frown in disgust, and Carrie to frown sadly when he said 'were.'

"By the way, the bathroom sink is clogged again."

Devin grabbed his bag and walked out the door.

"Bye honey."

Carrie put Casper down and sighed as she looked out the window, the radio still blaring.

 _Just own the night_

 _Like the_ _Fourth of July_

 _'Cause baby you're a..._

* * *

Meanwhile, downtown, two teenagers, one boy and one girl, were playing electric guitars on a small stage.

The guy had a green mohawk, several piercings on his face, a black shirt with a skull on it, blue shorts and red sneakers.

The girl had short black hair with teal streaks in it, a black shirt with green and blue sleeves, a black skirt, black tights, and knee-high black boots.

"One! Two! One two three four!," the guy shouted before he and his girlfriend started playing.

 _Duncan: I don't wanna talk to ya!_

 _Gwen: Nothing to say!_

 _Duncan: I don't wanna walk with ya!_

 _Gwen: Outta my way!_

 _Duncan: I'm not gonna fight for ya!_

 _Gwen: Don't wanna play!_

 _Duncan: I don't need anyone else!_

 _Gwen: Yeah yeah!_

 _Both: I live my life by myself!_

 _Gwen: Yeah yeah!_

Gwen suddenly kicked her microphone stand off of the stage. She pushed Duncan aside and started singing into his microphone.

 _I can't stand the things that you say!_

Duncan frowned and pushed her aside, causing Gwen to frown slightly as her boyfriend continued singing loudly.

 _I'm not listening- -!_

The music suddenly stopped.

"Any...?," Duncan looked around the empty restaurant in confusion until he saw the owner holding an electrical cord.

"Oh my gosh! I thought you guys said you were musicians!"

* * *

Duncan closed his guitar case and frowned as he looked at his girlfriend, who was also packing up her guitar.

"Gwen, babe," Gwen looked over at him, "I'm the lead singer, ok? Just stick to the back-up vocals."

Gwen followed him out of the restaurant, "Sorry, I get carried away."

"Yeah, I know, right? It just kind of ruins my song, you know?," Duncan said as they began walking back home.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the suburbs, a fifteen-year-old girl was in her kitchen lighting the candles on her Grandma Amy's birthday cake. She had light blonde hair, a red long-sleeved shirt with a matching skirt, a white boots.

When she was done, she picked it up and brought it into the dining room, where her mother, grandmother and grandfather were waiting.

As she brought the cake in, everyone started singing happy birthday.

 _Happy birthday to you_

 _Happy birthday to you_

 _Happy birthday dear..._

Everyone trailed off as the girl closed her eyes and began to sing beautifully.

 _Happy biiiiirthday dear Grandma_

 _Happy biiiiiiiirthday toooooo yoooooooou_

When she opened her eyes, she saw her mother and grandparents staring at her in awe. She blushed as she realized she had been the only one singing.

"Awwwwww!," everyone smiled.

"What?," Sammy laughed and put the cake on the table in front of her grandma, "Come on, make your wish."

"Hmm," Amy thought for a moment, "I...wish you'd join a choir. A local band or something."

"I tried!"

"Bah!," Amy frowned.

"Hey hey, Mom! We've been over this," Sammy's mother put a hand on Amy's shoulder.

"So she's a little shy. So what? If I had a voice like Sammy's, I'd be a _superstar_ by now!"

Amy took a bite of her cake.

"Just singin', _oooooh yeah, I said, oooooh yeah..._ "

Sammy chuckled.

"Sure you would, Grandma. Now blow out your candles."

Amy straightened up and looked at the cake with a serious face. She took a deep breath and blew out all the candles in one go.

* * *

Meanwhile, above the subway station, a Latino man was playing acoustic guitar for money. He had black hair, a dark red shirt, grey pants and black boots.

As he was playing, a man walked by and dropped something in his guitar case. He stopped playing and looked inside, only to frown as he saw the contents.

"A penny? How dare you? You have offended the name of Alejandro Burromuerto!"

The man stopped and turned to him, "I'm sorry, it's all I got right now."

 _"Oh really?"_

Alejandro got up and walked over to the man and crossed his arms.

"Prove it."

"What?"

"Empty your pockets, _now._ "

Terrified, the man quickly emptied his pockets, dropping food, bottles and an inhaler.

"What is this?," Alejandro picked up the inhaler, "What do you smoke out of this?"

"That's my inhaler!"

He then accidentally let a wad of ten dollar bills slip from his hands and land at Alejandro's feet.

"A-ha!"

Alejandro smirked and picked up the wad.

"You have all witnessed it yourselves!," Alejandro held up the wad for everyone else to see, "The man lied!"

Everyone gasped and gave the poor man dirty looks.

"I forgot I had that," he said quietly.

Alejandro removed the clip holding the money together and pointed it at him.

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"

He threw the pin at him.

"Fool."

The man quickly grabbed his stuff and ran away as Alejandro resumed playing his guitar.


	3. One Big Chance

Don arrived in front of a fancy French restaurant that had water tanks on the walls filled with glowing squid.

Don gave his bike to the valet.

"Take care of her, will ya? She may look old and rusty, but she is _a classic!_ "

The second Don walked through the door, though, the bike handles came loose and it fell over.

* * *

Inside, Don sat at a table with his life-long best friend, Topher O'Halloran.

"Ok, listen," Don began, "We both know that my theater's been going through some pretty rough times lately. _But,_ as the saying goes, _'For every cloud, a silver lining.'_ We've got..."

"Bup bup bup bup bup bup, hold it right there, Don," Topher shushed his friend, "My dad heard that I was gonna see you today and he was all like," he put his hands on his hips and frowned as he spoke in a deep voice, _"Topher, you tell Adora that I'm not funding anymore of those shows, and that's final!,"_ he stopped mimicking and put his hands down, "Those were his exact words."

"Well Chris is right. Those shows were the problem. _War of Ambition, Daisy in Bloom,_ I mean, nobody wants to see that stuff anymore. So, what do I do?"

"...Quit?"

"No," Don shook his head, but his smile remained, "I give them a show they just can't resist, which is gonna be..."

 _"Ahem."_

Don turned his head and saw the waiter standing in front of them.

"Just one more minute, _s'il vous plaît_."

The waiter grumbled and walked off.

 _"Merci!"_

"Please son't speak French, they speak English here," Topher said in a hushed tone.

"Now, my next show is gonna be, drum roll, please..."

He drummed his hands on the table and smiled.

 _"A singing competition!"_

Topher seemed confused by his decision.

"A singing competition? Who wants to see another one of those?"

"Everyone! Just-Just think, your neighbor, the-the grocery store manager, that-that waiter. Right there!"

Don pointed at one of the other waiters, who just rolled his eyes and walked off.

"Everyone in this city gets a shot at being a star, live on my stage!"

"Don, this is a terrible idea!," Topher laughed as he opened his menu.

Don frowned, "Oh no it's not. Real talent from real life! That's what audiences want, and _I'm_ gonna give it to 'em!"

He pounded his fist on the table, causing his fork to be flung backwards and it hit someone on the phone, causing him to drop it in his soup and splash it all over his suit.

Embarrassed, Topher hid his face behind his menu and spoke in a whisper.

"Can we please just get out of here?"

"Don't you wanna eat?"

"Yeah, but we can't afford any of this."

"Yes, I know. And that's why..."

He took out a small lunchbox.

"I brought sandwiches."

He opened it up and tossed a sandwich to Topher, who reluctantly caught it.

"Uh, that's not allowed. And," some of the contents of the sandwich got on his shirt, "Ugh."

"What? You don't like PB&J?"

The waiter who was helping the man get the soup off his shirt noticed them and frowned.

"Excuse me, sir."

He pulled up his sleeves and walked over to them.

* * *

"WHOA!"

Don hit the pavement with an audible grunt. The waiter wiped his hands and walked back inside.

Topher walked outside with a frown.

"You ok?," he asked Don as he got up.

"Yep," he dusted himself off and began walking back to the theater, "Never better."

* * *

Later, back at the theater, Ms. Paisley was typing something on her computer.

 _"Ms. Paisley?,"_ the intercom on her desk spoke.

Ms. Paisley stopped and pressed the button on the intercom.

"Hello? Who is this?"

* * *

Don rubbed his temple in frustration.

"It's me," he cleared his throat, "Your boss, Mr. Adora."

He turned towards the window between his office and Ms. Paisley's. She waved obliviously.

 _"Oh, hello, Mr. Adora."_

"There we go," Don smiled, "Now, I need you to add the following information to our publicity flyers."

 _"Yes sir."_

" 'The winner of the singing contest will receive a grand prize of...' "

He took out a small lunchbox and opened it up. He originally had a thousand dollars for the winner, but he had to make some purchases, so he was left with less.

"$935."

Don closed the box and thought for a moment.

"Gonna need more than that."

He grabbed an old radio, the rug in his office, his watch, the lunchbox, and put them all in a prop treasure chest from one of his shows. He closed it and locked it with a key.

"One thousand dollars. You got that, Ms. Paisley?"

* * *

Ms. Paisley nodded and began to type.

"One thousand doll- -"

The fan on her desk pointed towards her, causing her glass eye to fall out. She tried to grab it, but it slipped out of her hands and was thrown into the air.

At that moment, time seemed to slow down.

The eye landed on the keyboard and hit the '0' button twice. The flyer now read $100,000 instead of $1,000.

But of course, Ms. Paisley didn't notice.

Her eye fell off the desk and rolled under the piano seat.

 _"Print them up on every sheet of paper we have left, and let's spread the word right away, ok?,"_ Don said on the intercom.

"Yes, uh, yes sir," Ms. Paisley said, stammering.

She got up to get her glass eye while the printer started printing dozens of flyers.

* * *

Don looked out an open window and breathed in the fresh air.

"The winds of change."

He looked at his hand and noticed it was covered in dust from the windowsill. He frowned and wiped it on his shirt.

"Yep, when this show's a hit, I'm a gonna get you a fresh coat of paint."

* * *

He put on his jacket and walked into Ms. Paisley's office.

"How are we doing with those flyers, Ms. Paisley?"

The old woman was struggling to hold the ridiculously tall stack of yellow flyers.

"Oh, yes, sir. We're all good to go here."

Suddenly, her fan pointed towards her and blew all of the flyers out of her hands and out the open window behind her.

Don's eyes widened, "Ms. Paisley, no!"

He ran up to the window to close it.

"No no no no no!"

But he was too late. All the flyers were gone with the wind.

"Whoopsie."

"Well I, guess that's one way to spread the word," Don shrugged.

They both smiled, unaware of the mistake printed on each flyer.

* * *

There seemed to be hundreds of flyers blowing in the wind. They covered most of the sky with their bright yellow color. They blew through the entire city and several people stopped to watch them fly by while others grabbed one as it flew by.

* * *

At the subway, Duncan and Gwen stood at the waiting area, holding hands as they waited for a train. It finally arrived, bringing several flyers with it.

As the doors opened, one flyer got stuck to Duncan's back. Gwen saw it and her eyes lit up once she read it. She took it off her boyfriend's shirt and smiled, forgetting to get on the train.

"Hey Duncan, look at this!"

The train doors closed, and Duncan looked out the train window.

"Gwen, babe. Hey!"

As the train left, Gwen ran after it, waving the flyer in her hand.

* * *

Two police cars sped down the road, searching for Mal and his gang. But they had already arrived at their hideout: A garage that they used as a cover for their other schemes.

Mike quickly ran up to the garage door and pulled it shut. But not before a flyer slid underneath it.

Curious, Mike picked it up and read it. A large smile grew on his face until he heard his father approaching and he quickly shoved it into his pocket.

* * *

Sammy had her earbuds in as she was watering the plants in the kitchen. She was humming along to the music until she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Sammy!"

She took one of her earbuds out and turned to see her mom and mother smiling brightly as Amy held up a flyer.

Sammy read the flyer and gasped as she was finished.

* * *

A nun was reading one of the flyers. She shook her head and threw it behind her, inadvertently causing it to hit Alejandro (Who was playing guitar nearby) in the face.

He frowned and took the flyer off of his face.

"Hey hey! Not the face!"

He looked down at the flyer in his hands and his frown was immediately replaced with a large smile.

* * *

That night, Carrie was in the kitchen washing dishes with her phone pressed against her ear.

"Uh-huh, yeah."

Suddenly, a flyer was blown against the window above the sink and she looked at it.

 **SINGING COMPETITION AUDITIONS**

 **The Winner Will** **Receive**

 **The Grand Prize Of**

 **$100,000**

Carrie was so shocked, she dropped her phone in the sink. But she ignored it and smiled brighter than she had in years.

This was her big chance.

This was everyone's big chance!


	4. Auditions

**RRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNG!**

Don hit his alarm clock, turning it off. He yawned and sat up, only to hit his head on the wall.

"Ow!"

After brushing his teeth and changing his clothes, he stood up and smiled his usual optimistic smile.

"Let's go to work."

He opened the door, revealing he had slept in the closet in his office.

He sat down at his desk and spun in his chair.

"And cue the crazy old lady."

On cue, Ms. Paisley walked in with a cup of coffee.

"Good morning, Mr. Adora."

"Indeed it is, Ms. Paisley. Top of the morning to you."

"I made you some coffee," she handed the cup to Don.

"You did?," Don looked in the cup and saw that it was empty, "Where is it?"

"Well, I got a little thirsty on the way up those stairs."

Don smiled and shook his head.

"Should I go open the doors now?"

"The doors?," Don raised an eyebrow.

"You've got a lot of people waiting in line to audition, Mr. Adora."

"I do?"

Don got up and walked to the window. He dropped his cup in shock and pressed his face against the window.

"Holy moly, I really do."

There were people lined up all around the block waiting to audition. It looked like almost everyone in town had come.

* * *

"I swear to you, Topher! This is no joke!," Don said into his cell phone, "Look, just get down here and see for yourself! I gotta go!"

He hung up the phone and laughed.

"This is it, Ms. Paisley! Get your saggy old butt downstairs and throw those doors open wide!"

* * *

Ms. Paisley used a megaphone to calm down the dozens of people waiting outside to audition.

 **"Ok, um, one at a time, please. Calm down."**

Don saw the growing crowd outside and mouthed the word 'wow.'

* * *

First up were Lindsay, Izzy and Beth.

 _Got me lookin' so crazy right now_

 _Your love's got me lookin' so crazy right now_

 _Got me lookin' so crazy right now_

 _Your love's got me lookin' so crazy right now_

Ms. Paisley glanced at Don, who was dancing in his seat as he watched the girls dance. He just smiled and shrugged.

She nodded and wrote something down on her clipboard.

* * *

Next was Jacques.

 _Ra-ra, ah-ah-ah_

 _Ro-ma, ra-ma-ma_

 _Ga-ga, ooh-la-la_

 _Watch out bad romance!_

Both Don and Ms. Paisley's jaws dropped. But Don smiled after watching Jacques's loud dancing and singing.

* * *

Next were Trent, Cody and Justin.

 _Cody: Jump!_

 _Trent and Justin: Jump! Jump!_

 _Cody: You might as well jump_

* * *

"Bye, Dylan. Bye, Danni. Bye, Drake. Bye, Chloe. Bye bye, Casper."

Carrie shut the front door and wiped her forehead.

"Phew."

She took out her flyer from last night. A look of determination spread across her faces she grabbed her purse and ran out the front door.

* * *

Next was Ezekiel.

 _Baaaaaby_

 _I compare you to a kiss from a rose_

* * *

Next were Katie and Sadie.

 _L-U-C-K!_

 _L-U-C-K!_

Ms. Paisley clapped her hands, enjoying the music while Don just watched in confusion.

* * *

Next was a barbershop quartet.

 _I love my shoes_

 _I love my shoes_

* * *

Next was Ryan.

 _Come, my lady_

 _Come, come, my lady_

 _You're my butterfly, sugar, baby_

* * *

 **LIVE!**

 **Auditions For Local Singing Competition**

 _ **Huge Numbers Turn Out For Chance To Become A Star**_

* * *

The huge lines outside the theater had attracted a local news crew.

"And let's hear from a few more of the folks in line. What about you, sir?"

A man named Leonard spoke into the microphone.

"Well Bob, I'm a lab technician for a leading pharmaceutical company, _but_ I was born with a gift. And that gift is to _sing!_ "

* * *

Leonard played a keyboard as he sang in his audition.

 _Ba-da-shri_

 _Lo-po-ba_

 _La-do-sa-sli-wina_

 _Sli-do-mama_

* * *

Next were Anne Maria, Taylor and Amy.

 _Anne Maria: Oh my gosh_

 _Look at her butt_

 _All: Oh my gosh_

 _Look at her butt_

Ms. Paisley covered her eyes with her clipboard while Don smiled and tapped his hands to the beat.

* * *

Next were Duncan and Gwen. They brought their guitars and amps.

 _Duncan: I live my life by myself!_

 _Gwen: Yeah yeah!_

Don covered his face with his clipboard to block the extremely loud sound waves that were blowing his hair back and Ms. Paisley struggled to do the same thing.

 _Duncan: I can't stand the things that you say!_

 _Gwen: Yeah yeah!_

 _Both: I'm not listening..._

 _Gwen: Anywaaaaaaaaay!_

Duncan stopped singing when he realized Gwen was singing along with him and looked at her in confusion as she held the last note.

Don's eyes widened when he heard Gwen's voice. He smiled and nodded to himself as Gwen held another note.

 _YEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAH-EEEAAAAAAH!_

* * *

Next was a girl named Sierra. She was playing an acoustic guitar. She opened her mouth to sing, but she stopped to fix her guitar string.

And again.

And again.

And again.

Don and Ms. Paisley cringed as she kept playing sour notes.

* * *

Next were Laurie and Miles.

 _Laurie: Lollipop lollipop_

 _Oh, lolli-lolli-lolli_

 _Both: Lollipop lollipop_

 _Oh, lolli-lolli-lolli lollipop_

 _(Pop!)_

* * *

Mal was in the garage, using a small punching bag. Mike poked his head into the room.

"Hey dad! I'm just going out!"

"Well don't take long, I've got the gang coming over!"

With that, Mike grabbed his skateboard and quietly walked out the door.

* * *

Back outside the theater, Alejandro was being interviewed by the news crew.

"Now, I'm sure you've been getting several folks who've been saying, _'It's not winning, it's the taking part that counts!'_ Well for me, taking part isn't enough. I'm here to win."

He held up his flyer and pointed to it.

"That prize," he pointed to his chest, "is mine!"

* * *

Next was Harold.

 _People say, "Yo Humpty, you're really funny looking"_

 _That's alright, 'cause I get things cooking_

* * *

Next was Sanders.

 _Working nine to five_

* * *

Next was Emma and her little sister Kitty. Emma pushed Kitty up to the microphone and she started singing.

 _We can dance if we want to_

Emma smiled at the judges as Kitty sang.

* * *

Next was LeShawna.

 _Aserej!_

 _Ja de je_

 _De hebe tu de_

* * *

Next was Beardo, who started beatboxing like a pro. He even made some cool sound effects that made Don's jaw drop.

* * *

Next was Tyler.

 _Ride_

 _Like the wind_

 _Ride like the wind_

* * *

Next was DJ.

 _Ben, the two of us need to look no more_

Don tugged on Ms. Paisley's sleeve to make sure she was seeing this. A big guy with an amazing voice.

* * *

Next was Mike.

 _This ain't love, it's clear to see_

 _But darling, stay with me_

Mike finished his song and looked up at Don, who was smiling in amazement.

"Wow! Thank you, Mike."

Mike smiled and nodded before walking off stage.

* * *

Backstage, several people were waiting to audition. Among them was a very nervous-looking Sammy, who was sitting on a crate trying to calm down.

 _"Ok, next up, we have, Sammy,"_ Ms. Paisley said over the megaphone.

Mike smiled encouragingly as he walked by.

"Good luck!"

Sammy got up and took a deep breath before walking onstage.

 _"Alright, come on. Here we go,"_ she whispered to herself, _"Come on, you can do it. You can do it, ok."_

Sammy didn't watch where she was going and accidentally knocked over the mic stand.

She quickly picked it up and stuttered out an apology.

"I-I'm sorry. Uh..."

"Ok, hey, it's alright," Don smiled, "You know, it's alright. Take it away, Sammy!"

The music started playing and Sammy nervously adjusted the microphone.

"Uh...ok. Uh..."

"Anytime now," Don said.

"..."

"Do you wanna start over?"

Sammy could barely hear Don as she began to hyperventilate. Her heart seemed to pound in her head.

 _"Ahem."_

Sammy snapped out of it when she heard a rude voice interrupt her. She turned her head and saw Alejandro standing next to her, crossing his arms impatiently.

"I believe that's enough of that. Off the stage, please."

Sammy tried to respond, but all she could do was stutter.

"There are many people waiting. If that's all you can do, I suggest you leave before you embarrass yourself even more."

Sammy reluctantly turned around and sadly walked off the stage.

Alejandro rolled his eyes.

"Such a useless act," he turned towards Don and smiled, "Let a professional show you all how it's done. _Maestro?_ "

A new song started playing and Alejandro grabbed the microphone stand. He spun it around like a lady and held it close as he began to sing.

 _Every time it rains, it rains pennies from heaven_

Don and Ms. Paisley smiled as they heard his charming voice.

 _Don't you know each cloud contains pennies from heaven?_

* * *

Sammy walked out of the theater, looking as depressed as ever. She heard the chatter of the hundred people still waiting to audition and it only upset her even more. She kicked a nearby tree in frustration.

"UGH!"

She had only walked about two feet when a birds nest fell on her head, with three chirping baby birds in it.

* * *

Next to audition was Carrie. She stood in place during her whole song.

 _You just gotta ignite the light_

 _And let it shine_

 _Just own the night_

 _Like the Fourth of July_

Don smiled and Worte something down on his clipboard.

 _'Cause baby, you're a firework!_

* * *

 **5 Hours Later**

* * *

The last song had just ended, and Don and Ms. Paisley were exhausted after a full day of watching auditions.

"Ok," Ms. Paisley sighed, "That's everyone, Mr. Adora."

"Phew!," Don wiped his brow, "Alright, call everyone back to stage, Ms. Paisley, and let's get- -"

He was cut off by loud feedback from Ms. Paisley's bullhorn.

 _ **"Hello! Can I have everybody back to stage, please? Everyone come back to stage for selection."**_

Don put his finger in his ear to stop the ringing sound.

"Ok, thank you, Ms. Paisley."

 ** _"You're welcome, Mr. Adora!"_**


End file.
